MotoGP: Dazed and Confused?

When Dani Pedrosa is knocked down it seems everybody tries very hard to absolve themselves of any blame. Probably because they know that the sanctioning body has been known to flick into over-protective mommy mode over Spanish riders seemingly done wrong.

The Cardion AB team that fields a Ducati MotoGP satellite bike for rider Karel Abraham issued a statement Tuesday, absolving itself of any guilt for the follies that resulted in Dani Pedrosa starting the Grand Prix of San Marino from the rear of the grid last Sunday.

Pedrosa's race - and likely his challenge for the World Championship - ended just six turns into the first lap when the rear wheel of his Repsol Honda was clipped by the front wheel of Hector Barbera's Pramac Ducati. Pedrosa was slicing through slower traffic at the time of the accident, having been forced to surrender his pole position.

Abraham lifted his arm on the grid to indicate to race officials that his Ducati was malfunctioning just as the race was about to start. During the subsequent delay, Pedrosa's front wheel locked, preventing the Repsol Honda crew from removing a tire warmer before the one-minute board was lifted, when mechanics are not allowed to touch the bike.

Pedrosa's crew was forced to wheel his bike into pit lane to unlock the wheel and remove the tire warmer. Pedrosa's crew returned his bike to the grid before the start of the sighting lap, a violation of the rules. Then he was forced to start from the rear of the grid.

The Cardion AB statement: (Also, in certainly unrelated news, please not that Karel Abraham recently passed the Bar and also, seemed to be one of the few who'd read the rulebook prior to the incident.)

"We would like to clarify the speculations that have been spreading with regard to an unusual situation which occurred before the start of the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday, 16 September, and which affect the reputation of the Cardion AB Motoracing team.

"The start of the MotoGP class was postponed due to technical difficulties experienced by our rider Karel Abraham with his Ducati Desmosedici GP12 motorcycle. They were attributed to a faulty clutch piston seal and the resulting hydraulic fluid leak. It was a defect of a brand new part, which had been preventively replaced on Saturday evening, as the same problem had occurred with our spare bike.

"Unfortunately, the defect occurred during the sighting lap after the level of the fluid had dropped below the critical level and the clutch became inoperative. Consequently, our rider's engine stalled after he had shifted into first gear before the start into the warm-up lap. Having been given a push by marshals, he made the warm-up lap during which the defect was not apparent. It occurred again when he shifted into first gear and the engine stalled again. Pursuant to the applicable MotoGP rules, Karel raised his hand to notify race direction and the starting procedure was halted right before the start.

"Karel could in no way detect the cause of the defect during the sighting lap and the warm-up lap. Nor could he avoid or defer it. Similarly, Cardion AB Motoracing mechanics could not have expected having to deal during one weekend with two identical malfunctioning parts delivered by Ducati Corse. We regret the fact that the HRC team had technical difficulties with Dani Pedrosa's bike as a result of the restart. However, there is no direct correlation between our team's difficulties with the Ducati motorcycle and this unpleasant situation, which resulted in the loss of the pole position and the subsequent collision between Dani Pedrosa and Héctor Barbera.

"Hence, the Cardion AB Motoracing team bears no factual or moral responsibility for the incident. Our team dealt with the situation in full compliance with MotoGP regulations. It is not our fault that the new situation resulted in chaos and the unintentional breach of the applicable regulations by HRC.

"Our team and our mechanics did their best to prepare the bike for the race. By coincidence, we had technical difficulties with two identical parts during one weekend; it would be misleading to blame Karel Abraham, as the rider, or Cardion AB Motoracing mechanics.

"Our team too lost the chance to collect world championship points in Misano due to these technical problems, since we had to use a spare bike and start from the pit lane. In addition, due to a malfunctioning rear brake, hydraulic brake fluid leaked onto the rear wheel, causing Karel to fall.

"We wish Dani Pedrosa the best in the upcoming races and we hope that from now on the battle for the title will continue on the track without so many technical aspects."

Abraham appeared to be one of the few riders or team officials who had even a tenuous grasp of the FIM rule book at Misano. But confusion about the procedure for aborted starts by Misano race control added to what Pedrosa called "total chaos" and sparked strong criticism Tuesday from FIM President Vito Ippolito, who said Misano race officials allowed too many team personnel to return to the grid after the aborted start.

"It had never happened that the race got stopped when the start was about to be given," Ippolito said to Italian media. "At this point, everyone was taken by surprise, and the biggest mistake was made: The track was opened and the starting procedure got re-activated, thus allowing many people to get close to the bikes and the riders.

"Instead, only the mechanics with the starters were supposed to be allowed to enter, and then the start would be given. At that point, the message ?One minute to the start' would have been understood by everyone immediately, and the problem with the tire warmers wouldn't have happened."

Thanks to Soup :: MotoGP: Dazed and Confused? :: 09-19-2012